Rusty Rubin, Managing Editor
www.ringsports.com

Roy Jones had to work for the win, and at age 34, that’s not as much of a shock as you may think. Not to long ago a heavyweight named Lennox Lewis had to lose a lot of weight in a hurry to be competitive against Vitali Klitschko. And I think we’ll all agree that the combination of weight loss and age plays a factor in a fighters performance.

Okay, Lewis was already a heavyweight, but he had taken a year off, and it’s hard taking the weight off to get into shape, as you grow older.

It’s hard to figure how the weight loss affected Jones. He didn’t look sharp and his great speed wasn’t there. He won the fight, albeit a majority decision, but this was not the Roy Jones of old.

Now Roy wants to step back up to heavyweight and take on James Toney and Mike Tyson before calling it a career.

Judging my Jones showing last night, neither of these fights figure to be as easy as they seemed to be before the evening started.

Personally, I’d like to see Jones fight Toney at cruiserweight and if Roy’s successful, then step up to heavyweight to end his career against Tyson.

But when Father Time catches up to you, there are no givens, other then sooner or later, Jones career, as great as it was, will have to come tumbling down. Sure, he’s a cinch for the Hall of Fame, even if he loses those last two fights.

But don’t base that on his victory over John Ruiz, who is a decent club fighter at best, and not a legitimate top 10 heavyweight. But, looking at today’s heavyweights, it’s hard to find a lot to choose from in that bracket.***

Finally, a strong boxing card on Nov. 15, at the High School in Meridian, Miss.***

And old friend Beau Williford of Louisiana has been doing an outstanding job with the amateurs, and was given an accommodation by the House of Representatives, and he also received a letter from President Bush. Keep up the great work, my friend…When you help the kids you do more then your share to help our sport.***

Agree or disagree, I’d like to hear from you.

Glove2Glove:

Please say prayers for former top-notch fighter Art Soto, who is having some severe health problems from Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Say a prayer for the return to health of great boxer Mando Ramos, who is badly hurting, a result of an unsuccessful back surgery.

Please say prayers for Phill Grazide of Santa Rosa, CA. a big supporter of amateur boxing, who is suffering the crippling effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Chas. Shandor, father in law of Ringsports.com writer Nick Constantine has been diagnosed with cancer and needs your prayers.

Your prayers have worked and Martin Sommers is no longer in hospice care, and in fact, is at home recovering. He and his family pass along their heartfelt thanks, and ask that your prayers continue.

Also down but not out with cancer is Kathy Ceravola, sister of top referee Elmo Adolph, and my best friend and co-founder of Glove2Glove, Susiey Walker.
Needless to say we need prayers for the return to health of both former champs Greg Page and Gerald McClellan, both confined to wheelchairs.

Glove2Glove is a non-denominational group set up to aide those boxing folks and their relatives in need of prayers and cards. We accept no money and only contact our members when someone is in need. It’s free to join. Simply send us your e-mail address. And even if you’re not a member, feel free to contact us if you are aware of some boxing person in need.

Touching on politics briefly:

I hate to say that ‘I told you so,’ but I did…No matter how much money the Saudi government pays Al Qaeda not to attack them, he went and did it anyway. Like I’ve always said, don’t trust a hungry snake.

Al Qaeda’s cowardly attack in Rihad was against fellow Muslims and during the holies month of the Muslim year, Ramadan.

If he’s not afraid to attack his fellow Muslims and sending his brainwashed followers on suicide missions, is anyone in this world safe as long as he’s alive?

The Koran teaches, or as I understand it, that when a person dies for a cause he goes to Paradise to spend eternity with 77 virgins. I know it also teaches not to kill your fellow Muslims and certainly not during the Month of Ramadan.

Bin Laden has no morals. He uses the Koran as he see fit, to better his own cause. And I can only hope that his followers see through him before they are sent straight to hell, as surely he will be, in time.

Agree or disagree, drop me a line.

Political Feedback

Interesting that about the best political writing I have seen lately is by a boxing journalist. I too keep waiting for the other shoe to drop in the form of suddenly found weapons of mass destruction. Also I don't know if you are getting the same stories down there on the inhumane way in which the soldiers fighting for their Country are being treated as they convalesce in Georgia.

Add to this the fact that Bush and company have sent no one to greet the remains of the soldiers returning home, in what are no longer called body bags, but transfer tubes. Even Bill Clinton called the families of those lost defending the free world. Your last two Presidents have been gutless draft dodgers. How can they be elected Commander in Chief of the armed forces?

Hopefully the Democrats go with a moderate military man not a Clinton. As for the Republicans, it's too bad they have to go with Bush. Collin Powell seems the best bet. To bad he wouldn't run.

Canada will finally be getting a good leader in a few weeks in Paul Martin. Look for relations between our countries to improve! Hopefully Canada will take a bigger role in the war, maybe the war in Iraq was misrepresented, but the region is very dangerous! Why on Earth would Iran have nuclear reactors? In case the run out of oil in 5,000 years? As an informed American, I think you would be alarmed at the way stories are spun or banned outright from the American people.

The U.S. is the most powerful country in the world. Your policies shape the worlds policies. If it's for the people and by the people the people should be better informed. God
bless America and God bless us all…Paris Black, Toronto, Canada.

***Just a brief response. I’m not sure what the reference to convalescing in Georgia was about, or what ‘stories were spun,’ but I’d like to hear/learn more if true. If you refer to the reason for the war in Iraq, I agree. As for our last two Presidents being ‘gutless draft dodgers’, while I too am a Colin Powell fan, there is no prerequisite for our President to have any military background. And you are correct about our electorate being much better informed…Thanks, Rusty